November 6, 1999
Chat with the Wachowski Brothers
The question in blue is mine... : )
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WarnerHomeVideo: Welcome to the first live Virtual Theatre
presentation in the world!
WarnerHomeVideo: Tonight you'll be able to watch The Matrix with
special guests Andy and Larry Wachowski, the creators of the
film.
WarnerHomeVideo: This is how it will work:
WarnerHomeVideo: If you have The Matrix DVD, a DVD-ROM computer
and of course an Internet connection, you will be able to watch
the movie, ask our special guests questions and follow their
responses. We will send a message to your computer shortly to
begin the movie.
WarnerHomeVideo: If you plan to participate in the chat only, you
will be able to submit questions and follow the responses.
WarnerHomeVideo: *
WarnerHomeVideo: This chat will be conducted auditorium style,
meaning you will be able to submit questions to the Wachowskis
and they will respond to them. Due to sheer volume of questions,
they won't be able to answer them all but we will answer as many
as possible.
WarnerHomeVideo: *
CCCorona: The room will been closed to open chat to allow
everyone to enjoy the guest stars comments, if you want
to ask a question, Use the input bar above your chat window! (No
input bar? Type: /msg AskWarner <question here>)
WarnerHomeVideo If you experience any technical difficulties,
please follow the tech support links on this page. Keep in mind
this is all new so your patience is appreciated!
WarnerHomeVideo: *
WarnerHomeVideo: So find a seat, sit back, turn up the volume and
get ready to enjoy the world's first Virtual Theatre!
WarnerHomeVideo: *
WarnerHomeVideo: And now we'd like to introduce our very special
guests, Directors Andy and Larry Wachowski!!!
WarnerHomeVideo: *
WachowskiBros: Hi!
ILoveNatPortman: Can you give any
information on the sequels, or even confirm their existence?
WachowskiBros: Yes, we are working
on them right now. Well, we would be working on them right now
except we have to be here in the chat room right now, LOL.
blindrocket: Do you practice Martial
Arts?
WachowskiBros: No, we do not, but we
watch a lot of Kung Fu movies.
AgentMartin: Why didn't you both do
the commentry on the DVD, time restraints?
WachowskiBros: That's a two part
answer. Part one is that we believe that film is a collaborative
media, that's why we never take a film by credit. We think the
other artists who help create a film are important and
interesting, and for people who want to understand the process of
filmmaking. And the second part is, that we were too tired.
Hiryu: Which Anime inspired you the
most and why?
WachowskiBros: We liked Ghost in the
Shell and the Ninja Scroll and Akira. in anime, one thing that
they do that we tried to bring to our film was a juxtaposition of
time and space in action beats.
AgentMartin: Is there anything in
The Matrix which you weren't too happy with, wished you could
have done differently?
WachowskiBros: That would require
the rest of the chat to answer! But, we'll answer that in general
we're fairly happy with the way it turned out.
blindrocket: Would you consider
yourselves computer nerds?
WachowskiBros: You got the second
part right, just nerds! LOL.
AgentMartin: Were you excited about
DVD as a medium for your movies to go to the homes of the masses?
WachowskiBros: As a technology, DVD
is exciting medium. But like all technologies, it still needs to
be developed by the users of the technology.
Enigma: What is the role or faith in
the movie? Faith in oneself first and foremost - or in something
else?
WachowskiBros: Hmmmm..... that is a
tough question! Faith in one's self, how's that for an answer?
Peter: Will the be a directors cut
of the matrix with any deleted scenes or out takes?
WachowskiBros: Nope, nope! Because
we were pretty happy with the way it turned out.
AgentMartin: The two of you seemed
to have a great relationship together for the making of this
movie. Have you always been very close?
WachowskiBros: We just met actually.
Tonight!
Sentinel: What comic books inspired
the look of the Matrix?
WachowskiBros: The largest influence
from the comic book world on the actual design would be the art
of Geof Darrow.
Revenge: What did the humans do to
scortch the sky??
WachowskiBros: We'll answer that
question later.
larrikin: How long did it take to
film in Sydney? was the entire movie shot in Sydney?
WachowskiBros: 118 days, and yes.
[On the screen, Neo is climbing out the window following
Morpheus's `orders'...]
Actually, this is Keanu Reeves actually getting out onto an
actual ledge, without a stuntman. He does this entire scene
without a stuntman, and it's 34 floors up..
hokeyboy: Were the filmmakers
influenced by Alex Proyas's similarly themed "Dark
City"?
WachowskiBros: No, but we thought it
was very strange that Australia came to have three films
associated with it that with it that were all about the nature of
reality. Dark City, The Truman Show and The Matrix..
Enjoythesilence: How would you say
Bound and the Matrix are similar?
WachowskiBros: Both films examine
the idea of an individual searching for their true self while
attempting to escape the box that we often make of our lives.
calla: What do the time 9:18 and the
date 9/18 signify? Is this a personal reference?
WachowskiBros: That's my wife's
birthday.
Inge: How long did the lobby scene
take to shoot?
WachowskiBros: It took 112 days to
shoot the lobby scene... It took 12 days, not 112!.
[These questions were asked but not answered ~ probably
weren't noticed... Sorry Cecil :( - SysOp]
dm8: do we set the
video to 16x9 or 4x3?
Akira702: you guys are
cool. do you know that you are cool?
cecilc: Have you seen
any of the fan sites that out there regarding The Matrix? And are
there any out there that you think particularly represent the
film really well?
Inge: Which scene are you guys most
happy with? Favorite? For me it. Neo on his way to Morpheus the
first time.
WachowskiBros: If you're talking
about the pill scene, that's our favorite too.
Sealouse: Why was it filmed in
Australia?
WachowskiBros: Costs.
calla: There are quite a few hidden
messages in the movie that I notice the more I watch it. Can you
tell me about how many there are?
WachowskiBros: There are more than
you'll ever know.
Inge: Did you guys take a nice
holiday after the film had open? You deserve it!
WachowskiBros: Thank you very much!
And we did.
Sentinel: What do you think of the
fans of the Matrix??
WachowskiBros: We love them.
ToiletCommando: Are you prepared to
become legends?
WachowskiBros: Legends of what?
MadMatt: You guys BIG Jackie Chan
fans??
WachowskiBros: Yes, we love a lot of
Hong Kong cinema. Jackie Chan in Drunken Master II is fantastic..
TheTrinityACMXCL: [Me! Me! I got
a question through! Wouldn't you know it, it wasn't even my
question I was asking it on behalf of a friend who couldn't make
it! Figures. :) - SysOp] What about the animals in the
Matrix? Are they real animals or just computer-generated images?
WachowskiBros: Sadly, they are all
computer generated images.
ToiletCommando: Is it true that you
got some of your ideas from the Vertigo comic The Invisibles?
WachowskiBros: We do enjoy that
comic, but no.
ThedrickFel: What exacty was the
mirror made of? Was it the same stuff they injected into
morpheus? Why silver?
WachowskiBros: The mirror is
actually a mirror. When Neo sees it it's a hallucination, but
it's the direct result of the pill Morpheus has given Neo.
Reflections in general are a significant theme in the film. The
ideas of worlds within worlds..
AgentMartin: Are you suprised by the
amount of internet life that The Matrix has spawned, fan sites
etc?
WachowskiBros: Surprised? Yes, very,
surprised. We are very, completely stupefied by the fan response
to the film.
[Meanwhile, on the screen, Morpheus offers Neo the choice of
the two pills...]
WachowskiBros: The idea of the
reflection, the two Neo's in Morpheus glasses, is that that
represents the two lives that Neo is leading. In the left lens,
we see the blue pill and Thomas Anderson, and in the right lens,
we see the red pill and Neo..
Jose: What kind of drug does the red
pill contain?
WachowskiBros: It's like a computer
virus that's meant to disrupt Neo's life signal so that they can
pinpoint where Neo's body is in the power plant..
Renxo: Which is your favourite
flick?
WachowskiBros: Too many to answer.
unholyTrinity: [Yeah, another
AcmeCity Matrix CL got a question in! :) - SysOp] When did
you think about making this movie for the very first time? Was
there a kind of special inspiration given by any event, occasion
or something like that??
WachowskiBros: It all happened very
rapidly. We were working on another comic book, and a friend
asked us if we had any ideas for a new series. And we said no,
and then we just started talking about a couple of ideas that we
had been working on in connection to cyberpunk fiction. And, a
whole idea sort of exploded, over a period of about three days..
[Before they actually responded above, the pod scene was
playing on the screen so they commented...]
WachowskiBros: We're pretty happy
with the way this scene turned out. Keanu did some amazing work
in this scene which included 6 hours every morning of prosthetic
makeup. And he had to sit in a freezing cold vat of goo for
another six hours..
Renxo: Where were you born?
WachowskiBros: Chicago.
Neo479: What are some of your
favorite films from Honk Kong?
[OK, sadly this one was never answered either, I guess 'cause
they were too busy looking at the screen, where they were showing
Neo's body studded with those long needles...]
WachowskiBros: I was very happy with
the Don Davis score in this scene, that included his use of a boy
soprano, which I thought was very eerie. Don had a great idea, to
use human voices choir in scenes like the power plant and scenes
on the Neb to sort of suggest the plight of humanity..
Doc: So, WAS the Japanese animation
Megazone 23 an inspiration for the Matrix? The stories seem very
similar.?
WachowskiBros: I've never seen it.
But send us a copy, it sounds good..
theman: How did you guys come up
with the idea for the matrix? Playing video games? Shock therapy?
WachowskiBros: No, designer drugs.
Starr22: Are all the religious
symbolism and doctrine throughout this movie intentional, or not?
WachowskiBros: Most of it is
intentional.
[Meanwile, on the screen, Neo is about to be plugged in for
the first time ever...]
WachowskiBros: One of the things we
tried to do with the Neb for when we were shooting "in the
real world" was use long lenses to separate the humans from
the backgrounds as opposed to when we shot the Matrix we used
short lenses to place the humans in specific deep spaces. We also
tinted all of the lights blue in the "real world" and
green in the Matrix.
Renxo: Do you reflect your
personality on NEO's character? Were you/are you... hackers?
WachowskiBros: We're probably not
good enough to call ourselves hackers, like NEO..
[Meanwile, on the screen... Morpheus shows Neo the desert of
the real...]
WachowskiBros: There have been many
questions about the history that Morpheus suggests in this scene,
and we have written the history in a fair amount of detail, and
we often have hoped that if we did an anime series, we would tell
the story of this history and the story of the first One.
Somebody asked us about the liquification of humans, that's what
they feed the people in the pods, the dead people are liquified
and fed to the living people in the pods. Always recycle! It's a
statement on recycling..
White_Beezatch: Will there ever be a
Matrix video game?
WachowskiBros: Hopefully yes. If
things work out the way we want them to, the video game will be
released when the next movie comes out, and it will actually have
something to do with the movie.
DrBasher: Who came up with the
wardrobe, because Trinity's outfits rocked? So did Morpheus and
Neo's. Was it part of the original script?
WachowskiBros: We described her as a
woman in black leather in the script. But, mainly the costumes
were designed by Kym Barrett..
Chandler: Since you have worked with
the same composer and cinematographer (the great Bill Pope) did
you find that it was easier to think ahead about a visual or
musical style for the film?
WachowskiBros: Did Bill Pope ask
this question? No, but it's easier to execute them. You develop a
shorthand language with people you've worked with before. You
tell Bill, we need a B move, and he knows what to do..
pomru: My friends and I are
wondering what anime you showed the producers to get this movie
greenlighted?
WachowskiBros: If only it had been
that easy. We had to draw the entire movie and Keanu Reeves had
to agree to do the movie before anybody green-lit it.
DrBasher: Also, the special effects
rocked, was the script conceived knowing the special effects were
available, or were the special effects conceived to make the
script possible?
WachowskiBros: Some of the special
effects had to be invented, mainly Bullet Time.
yellerdog: What are the odds of the
Wachowski's directing a "straight up" live action
adaptation of an anime?
WachowskiBros: I thought we did.
DrBasher: How long did it take to
come up with the script, because it's great?
WachowskiBros: We wrote the script
before we had even directed Bound. And had been working on it up
until the time of production.
TGee: When did you first think you
would have such a huge hit on your hands?
WachowskiBros: It kind of was like a
giant art house hit, in that it just kept going and going and
people kept talking about it, and there was never a moment where
people were like "it's huge". People liked it, and it
just kept going.
[Meanwhile, on the screen, Morpheus is fighting Neo...]
WachowskiBros: This scene took
fifteen days to shoot, and about four months of training...This
is all Keanu, this is Keanu running up the pillar and doing the
full airborne 360.
ToiletCommando: Are you going to do
any projects besides the Matrix?
WachowskiBros: Maybe. If we're still
alive.
ToiletCommando: Is it hard to work
as brothers? Don't you disagree on everything?
WachowskiBros: Mom flies down to the
set everyday to settle every one of our arguments.
BigMac: Rumor has it that Cypher is
not dead....is this true?
WachowskiBros: If you ask Joey
Pants, it is. Joey Pants started that rumor..
garrett: Isn't it rather ironic that
Morpheus and his crew are completely dependent upon technology
and computers, the very evils against which they are fighting?
WachowskiBros: Yes!
[Meanwhile, on the screen, Morpheus' jump makes Neo go
`Whoa'...]
WachowskiBros: That shot, where
Morpheus jumps up out of frame, we called "The Worst Camera
Operator Shot in the World".
ooo: What is the Matrix?
WachowskiBros: About 2 hours and
fifteen minutes long...Those doors are actually made out of wood.
spark: What made you decide on the
green tint for being in the Matrix?
WachowskiBros: It was a whole motif
inspired by the phosphorous green of old PC's.
[Meanwhile, on the screen, Morpheus says, `Freeze it!' in the
Agent training program...]
WachowskiBros: People don't realize
how important this scene is. Because we are all staring at the
woman in the red dress! There's actually twins and triplets that
we hired in that scene. And all of the clothes are based on black
and white costumes, like nuns, chefs, brides, sailors. We had the
idea that Mouse just doubled people instead of making originals.
But we couldn't afford to do it digitally, so we ended up hiring
as many doubles, or as many twins, as we could find in Sydney. It
was kind of like a bad dream on the set.
grey: How did you get the money for
"The Matrix"?
WachowskiBros: Begged. And the
big-hearted Warner Brothers came through..
Stone: Would you like to direct
Jackie Chan?
WachowskiBros: Sure!
Lyn: Have you guys been approached
to direct Batman?
WachowskiBros: Yes, but we thought
we'd be busy doing the sequels.
AgentMarr: The film's cast was quite
diverse and yet the issue of race was refreshingly not an issue
on screen. How did you accomplish this?
[This didn't get answered either, because the moment on the
screen was quite tense - the Sentinel was just inspecting the
Neb...
WachowskiBros: We're pretty happy
with the way the sentinels turned out. The digital artist that
John Gaeta found did some amazing work..
...and Cypher was about to make like Judas]
WachowskiBros: Cypher, at the
beginning of this scene, is setting up an automated system to
allow him to go meet with Agent Smith.
EZGuest316: Could you say a little
about the sound design which was terrific such as the slomo
bullet ripple effects, foley effects?
WachowskiBros: Jane Davis is a
genius..[insert equivalent of *urrk* here ~ SysOp]..Dane
Davis is a genius. He built all of these sound effects from all
kinds of original sounds. He'd put bullets on strings and whirled
them around his studio, he digitized raindrops against
windowpanes to create the sound of the Matrix code..
[Meanwhile, on the screen, Cypher is enjoying the fake
steak...]
WachowskiBros: By the way, this
steak was one of the best steaks we had in Sydney. We got to eat
all of the ones that Cypher didn't finish.
JediKnight: Have you been approached
with any sci-fi scripts and do you have plans to do any?
WachowskiBros: Right now, we're
focusing just on Matrix 2 and 3.
Freethinker: Just out of curiosity,
do you guys hold to any religious beliefs?
WachowskiBros: Non-denominational.
[Meanwhile, on the screen, the breakfast of champions...]
WachowskiBros: Several of the cast
members actually got sick eating this stuff during this scene..
Astral_Traveler: How did you choose
the music?
WachowskiBros: For the most part, we
chose the music ourselves. But we hired a consultant DJ in LA
named Jason Bentley, a musical whiz kid, who had a lot of swell
ideas..
JimmyEO971: Will Joe Pantoliano be
the DeNiro to your Scorsese, the Divine to your John Waters?
WachowskiBros: There is a court
order against Joe Pantoliano for coming within a hundred feet of
us.
biggysmalls: How many
bluescreen/greenscreen shots are in this movie?
WachowskiBros: That's a good
question. There's 450 digital effect shots, but green screen?
Probably about 125..
wrygrass: Did ideas from Buddhism
influence you in making the film?
WachowskiBros: Yes. There's
something uniquely interesting about Buddhism and mathematics,
particularly about quantum physics, and where they meet. That has
fascinated us for a long time..
gdreams: Will you use Yuen Woo Ping
again?
WachowskiBros: Hell yes!
gtbpitt: Do you think The Matrix
will develop a cult following in the decades to come?
WachowskiBros: We hope it's as big
as the Night of the Lepus.
[Meanwhile, on the screen... try to guess which scene it is
:)...]
WachowskiBros: This is my wife about
to be on the screen here. She comes in right there!.... This kid
is great!
letmein: The phrase "paying
taxes" comes up a few times. Why?
WachowskiBros: Because we usually
couldn't afford to pay ours. It is an examination of what is and
is not certain.
Tank: I am a computer artist and I
am very interested in knowing what type of computers and software
you used to create the 3D effects?
WachowskiBros: A lot of the guys at
Manex wrote their programs with Softimage. We think..
[Meanwhile, on the screen... the Oracle]
WachowskiBros: Awesome actress!
Wesbran: Is the title "The
Matrix" related to the mitochondrial matrix located in
cells; the site of cell respiration, the creation of energy in
humans?
WachowskiBros: Like the movie
itself, there is a lot of word play, a lot of hidden other
meanings, a lot of multiple meanings. Besides that, we also like
the definition, the mathematical definition of the use of matrix,
or the use of it in terms of a woman's womb.
DVDReporter383: Do you surf fan
sites? Do you have the time?
WachowskiBros: We've looked at a
few. There's some cool ones out there.
virtualMatrix: What is the
significance of Neo eating the Oracle's cookie?
WachowskiBros: There was a piece cut
out of the movie that explained the significance more. It's hard
to explain.
agunn3: Have you ever been told that
the Matrix has Gnostic overtones?
WachowskiBros: Do you consider that
to be a good thing? I would.
RockyMtnBri: Any chance of novels
being written above and beyond the movie, like Star Wars?
WachowskiBros: Maybe.
Freethinker: The Matrix was
very-well received by critics, as well. Did that surprise you/How
much stock do you hold in critics?
WachowskiBros: There were some
critics that really didn't like it. Did it surprise us that some
liked it? You don't really hold much stock in critics, you tend
to make movies for first, yourselves, and second, your audience.
And the greatest thing about critics is that sometimes they can
help find your audience.
AgentMarr: What was the thinking
behind the use of numbers that can be read both ways like 303 on
the hotel door where Neo meets his destiny?
WachowskiBros: Like the wordplay,
there's a lot of numbers play in the movie as well.
Mike: What were your fondest moments
while filming The Matrix?
WachowskiBros: Finishing!
[Meanwhile, on the screen... the escape from Lafayette
Hotel...]
WachowskiBros: This scene, this set
right here, the wet wall, is something like forty-eight feet
high, and they are actually really worming their way down with
wires..
DVDReporter383: Do you surf the net?
If so, where do you go?
WachowskiBros: We're everywhere.
linusa: Do you believe that our
world is in some way similar to "The Matrix", that
there is a larger world outside of this existence?
WachowskiBros: That is a larger
question than you actually might think. We think the most
important sort of fiction attempts to answer some of the big
questions. One of the things that we had talked about when we
first had the idea of The Matrix was an idea that I believe
philosophy and religion and mathematics all try to answer. Which
is, a reconciling between a natural world and another world that
is perceived by our intellect.
[Meanwhile, on the screen...guess...]
WachowskiBros: That was a hard
stunt.
godbox: Confronted with Neo's
choice, which would you choose?
WachowskiBros: Blue pill.
Fuchikoma: What response did you get
from established film-makers upon the Matrix's release? Any
unexpected phonecalls etc?
WachowskiBros: [Missing/didn't
answer :( - SysOp].
Lincoln: What comment do you have to
those who say that the Matrix will probably be recognised as the
first C21st film?
WachowskiBros: Well, first we'd be
grateful for the comment. Then we'd have to point out the
clerical error that it's in the 20th Century, and not the 21st
until 2001..
wrygrass: Did you do camcorder films
or other film practice that helped you direct?
WachowskiBros: No, nothing on video,
but we did fiddle around with 16 mm film.
Revenge: What is the symbolism of
all the analog rotery phones?
WachowskiBros: There's a couple of
meanings. We liked the analog nature of older technology. We
liked the suggestion of old original phone hackers. It sort of
suggested the big Rube Goldberg device that's in the mirror
scene.
Inge: What was it like seeing the
movie with a audience for the first time?
WachowskiBros: Terrifying.
[Meanwhile, on the screen... Morpheus & the agents ...]
WachowskiBros: That's the largest
translight ever constructed. (interesting fact) ... That is
actual mercury in the hypodermic needle, by the way. It was
considered one of our most dangerous sets, because we had
mercury, it had to be poured into the hypodermic needle.
Stone: Was the Alice in Wonderland
theme just whim, or do you guys have a big love of it?
WachowskiBros: Big fan! It is a
brilliant book. Many of the themes we tried to echo in The
Matrix..
Orange_Crush: I noticed that The
Matrix is currently #30 in the IMDB top 250.. that's quite an
achievement. How do you feel about being classified with other
legendary films and filmmakers?
WachowskiBros: Lucky.
Wesbran: What happens to all the
gadgets in this movie after it is done filming?
WachowskiBros: Most of them are so
fragile they break as soon as you're done filming. And Joel
Silver collects the rest.
Sinclair: Why were they only able to
jack in through hard-lines, but still able to communicate over
cell?
WachowskiBros: Sinclair, good
question! Mostly we felt that the amount of information that was
being sent into the Matrix required a significant portal. Those
portals, we felt, were better described with the hard lines
rather than cell lines. We also felt that the rebels tried to be
invisible when they hacked that's why all the entrances and exits
were sort of through decrepit and low traffic areas of the
Matrix.
The12thMonkey: The guy that played
the lead agent was worryingly convincing, did it take a long time
to find him?
WachowskiBros: Yes, actually, and
that was one of the fortuitous things about going to Sydney, is
that it led us to find Hugo.
wrygrass: You said in an interview
that string theory might show up in the film, did it?
WachowskiBros: Maybe in the next
one, I have just now begun to understand string theory.
whatismyname: whats your favourite
music?
WachowskiBros: We love all music.
ZEUS: How did you finaly choose the names
of the characters?
WachowskiBros: They were all chosen carefully, and all of them
have multiple meanings.
Qualopec: How hard was it to get the
kind of budget you wanted for this film?
WachowskiBros: We had to go across
the world to secure that budget.
wrygrass: Do you have any funny
stories from filming you'd share?
WachowskiBros: That newspaper had to
be actually a giant piece of metal with newspaper glued to metal
pages. How's that for funny?
Lincoln: What is your fave line in
the movie?
WachowskiBros: Dodge this. And
"there is no spoon." We also liked that one.
Mahy: Do all of the things that
happen in the Matrix have some computer-based analogy...or did
you just do some of it because it was cool?
WachowskiBros: Yes. We like to try
and pack as much stuff as we can in when we do a movie. So some
of the stuff we do relates to the narrative, and some of the
stuff we do because we like.
biggysmalls: Do you like the Planet
of the Apes?
WachowskiBros: Yes, love it!
"Get your damned dirty hands off, you stinkin ape!".
Enigma: The character Neo: Is Neo
his real self and Thomas Anderson who he is "required"
to be?
WachowskiBros: Neo is Thomas
Anderson's potential self.
Job: Do you realize that your new
ideas have changed the way people will see movies in the future?
WachowskiBros: Really?
[Meanwhile, on the screen, the agents have fallen... "Get
up, Morpheus..."]
WachowskiBros: The idea of Bullet
Time came about because we wanted to shoot an event at incredibly
high speed which means slow motion, but move the camera at
regular speed, which is impossible. The first theory for Bullet
Time involved a rocket camera that was abandoned for safety
purposes. Then, John Gaeta suggested a digital solution. Which
brought it to the screen.
keanucarrie: Which scene was the
hardest to shoot?
WachowskiBros: The subway fight
scene. It was incredibly cold and everyone was very sick and it
went ten days over schedule. And was particularly brutal to the
two actors..
Dogma: Has there been any discusions
with comic book companies to publish a monthly-type of comic
based on the Matrix, not just an adaptation, perhaps with Darrow
illustrating it?
WachowskiBros: We're going to
release another series of stories on the website. Geof Darrow is
going to illustrate a couple more short stories written by Andy
and I. And, we've toyed with the idea of continuing the story in
comic book form when the movies are finished..
Trinity303: [uh, not me ~ I've
known the answer to that question for a while now ;) - SysOp]
Do you like John Woo's movies and style of shooting scenes of
action?
WachowskiBros: John Woo was a
genius. John Woo IS a genius..
tonka: what do you think about star
wars?
WachowskiBros: It was one of the
first films that we went berserk over when we were kids.
kr: How long had you been working on
writing the story and was there re-writing going on while
filming?
WachowskiBros: There was not much
rewriting, a little bit. Somebody asked us about the street names
in the movie and all of them are significant. They are all based
on places in Chicago.
Santayana: I love the casting of
this film. Specifically, Hugo Weaving. Why him?
WachowskiBros: We had seen the movie
"Proof" and we flew Hugo into LA to meet and he did a
phenomenal reading. And was willing to undergo the four months of
training. He's one of the finest actors we've ever worked with. .
Hiryu: Did you ever consider doing a
cameo appearance in the movie?
WachowskiBros: We're too ugly!
[Meanwhile, on the screen...Neo faces off w/ Smith...]
WachowskiBros: This shot here, the
showdown shot, is an hommage to Sergio Leone.
joe: I am amazed by the physical
performance the actors had great training. What do you think?
WachowskiBros: We're amazed as well.
We think all four of them went beyond our expectations.
Revenge: Any influence from Blade
Runner?
WachowskiBros: Blade Runner was a
benchmark science fiction film, a masterpiece. Of course there's
influence. But we were like the only guys who liked that movie
when we saw it, everyone else hated it..
Freethinker: Did you know right away
that it would be a trilogy?
WachowskiBros: We knew we had too
much material for one movie.
inkman: Do you two feel that sci-fi
is overlooked in the "Awards" arena?
WachowskiBros: We don't put much
credence in the "awards" arena..
[Meanwhile, on the screen...Neo is fighting Smith...]
WachowskiBros: There are some
fantastic stunts in this sequence like THAT one! Both the
Australian stunt team and the Hong Kong stunt team worked very
well together in this scene.
AgentMartin: Do you appreciate
people dissecting your movie? Do you find it a bit of an honour
or does it annoy you a little, especially when the person may
have it all wrong?
WachowskiBros: There's not
necessarily ever an "all wrong". Because it's about
what a person gets out of the movie, what an individual gets out
of the movie..
Vindicator: The whole idea of
electronic stimuli of atrophied muscles is great. Did you guys
consult any medical experts for accuracy?
WachowskiBros: As a matter of fact,
one of our best friends is a doctor. He was the first guy to show
us our first autopsy.
[Meanwhile, on the screen... the market shootout...]
WachowskiBros: Watermelons, that was
an hommage to Gallagher. On the TV, when Neo goes by there's an
episode of "The Prisoner".
Action: Am I really watching the
movie right now, or am I in...The Matrix?
WachowskiBros: Take another blue
pill and call me tomorrow.
rawdogg: Why did you never show
Zion?
WachowskiBros: We're saving it for
Matrix 2.
Nebelis: What other projects did the
camerman work on and where did you find him?
WachowskiBros: If you mean Bill
Pope, he did our first movie "Bound" and the
masterpiece "Army of Darkness".
Pill: Do you plan to write any books
about this?
WachowskiBros: There is a
"Making Of' book that's coming out later this year.
virtualMatrix: Do you believe one
day, intelligent machines with AI will actually rule the world?
WachowskiBros: Yes. If they don't
already!
AcesAreWild: Who Invented BULLET
TIME PHOTOGRAPHY?
WachowskiBros: The original concept
was ours, but the technical execution was from a company called
Manex.
AgentMartin: Many take the Make of
the Neb, "Mark 3, V.11" and quote it from the bible
"Mark 3:11". Was this intended or is it just the make
and model of the Neb and nothing more subliminal than that?
WachowskiBros: The Nebuchanezzer is
indeed a biblical reference, from the book of Daniel.
linusa: Will you ever tell the
history of the Matrix in a novel?
WachowskiBros: Maybe.
Renxo: Are you doing any personal
presentations, anywhere?
WachowskiBros: No.
NIKKI: Who unplugged Morpheus and
told him about the matrix?
WachowskiBros: We hope to tell that
story in another medium one day.
Neotek: How much of an influence was
William Gibson in the production and design of this movie?
WachowskiBros: We're big fans of
William Gibson's work.
Ronin: Your movie has many and
varied connections to mythos and philsophies, Judeo-Christian,
Egyptian, Arthurian, and Platonic, just to name those I've
noticed. How much of that was intentional?
WachowskiBros: All of it.
WachowskiBros: Sorry we could only
get to 1 percent of your questions. We do appreciate all of your
support. And we'll see you in three years.
<WarnerHomeVideo> Well that's it. Thanks for
participating in The Matrix Virtual Theatre event.
<WarnerHomeVideo> We'd also like to thank Larry and Andy
Wachowski for spending the evening with us.
<WarnerHomeVideo> *
<WarnerHomeVideo> Check back at this site for more Matrix
events! And don't forget to enter the contest to win an IBM
Laptop with DVD-ROM and signed copies of The Matrix DVD!
<WarnerHomeVideo> *
<WarnerHomeVideo> Produced by Warner Home Video and Talk
City.
<WarnerHomeVideo> All rights reserved, copyright 1999.
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